In a bad news for nature lovers, 10 hectares of mangrove forest in Thane district will have to make way for construction of Balkum to Gaimukh DP Road, said to be a NH-3 connector, which, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) says, is expected to solve traffic issue. 

The project, also called Ghodbunder Bypass, will be implemented by the TMC. As per the proposal sent to the Union Environment Ministry for forest clearance, DP Road is proposed to start at Kharegaon Toll Naka on Mumbai-Nashik Highway (NH-3) and end at Ghodbunder Road (SH-42) near Gaimukh.